Nabeela Saghir is a Midlands-based poet, who now resides in Northwest London. I had the fantastic opportunity to interview her about her debut poetry pamphlet Let me make you something to eat and learnt many fascinating things behind three of the poems, as well as her main inspirations during the writing process. 

Hi Nabeela, and welcome to Redbrick. Could you start by giving us an overview of Let me make you something to eat and what it means to you? 

Hi. The pamphlet touches on themes such as food, motherhood, and language and how these things have tied together to form my identity. It means a lot to me because the title embodies the experience of making and sharing food, and how there is no greater love than that. It’s something my mom will always do since I have grown up. When I go back home, she will always cook me a feast and I think that is something really special that should be celebrated. 

Following on from that, the first poem of the pamphlet, ‘Dupatta,’ really stood out to me as I really liked how it focuses on the theme of motherhood. What influenced you to write the poem in this way? 

Thank you for that. ‘Dupatta’ is one of my favourite poems, especially to read out loud. A dupatta (meaning scarf in Urdu) is such a meaningful symbol in Pakistani culture, so I wanted to write about its connotations. For me, personally, it was a comforting sanctuary away from the outside world when I was a child and it reminds me of that feeling of complete and utter safety, which then returns to the theme of motherhood. The poem means a lot to me and I’m glad I got to add it in because the last line of the poem, ‘let me make you something to eat,’ is a warm welcome into the pamphlet for readers and sets the tone for what they can expect.

Food is something I’ve always enjoyed writing about, especially fruit

It’s a full circle moment for readers. From reading the poem, this is what we can expect from the pamphlet. 

Yes, that’s what we were going for and I’m glad we got to do that. The order is really important when it comes to either a pamphlet or collection. 

Another poem that stood out to me was ‘All I know now,’ as the relationship between mother and child corresponds to the universal love language of food. How did food play a significant part in the writing process (creating the pamphlet, writing the poems and structuring them) throughout Let me make you something to eat?

Food is something I’ve always enjoyed writing about, especially fruit. I’m always drawn to its details: the layers and textures. On a sensory level, it’s something beautiful to write about. On a deeper level, food and hunger is so universal to everyone. Food plays such a significant role in society: in coffee shops or kitchens, it’s such a deep and necessary part of who we are and how we connect with others. It’s something that has always stuck with me since my university days. 

As a Creative Writing student myself, did you discover your passion for writing about food through unique writing prompts at university and is this how it eventually translated into the pamphlet itself?

That’s a really good question. I think it was a homework set one week which led me to write about tangerines specifically. I ended up really liking that poem, as I read it at an open mic, so it’s held such a significant part in my life. From that moment on, I really discovered my love and passion for writing about food. It’s crazy to think that this all came from a university prompt. 

I really do agree about university playing a significant part when writing later in your life. For me, personally, I can see it in my dissertation now, as I had so much passion for writing about my culture in the first year of my studies. 

It really does, and you don’t realise it until later on in your life, and then you’re like ‘oh, that’s where it came from.’

Faith does come in pockets throughout the pamphlet, but it was never my main focus

The last poem which really stood out to me was ‘Little parcels,’ as it illustrates the beauty and significance of coming together as a family during the auspicious month of Ramadan. What part did faith play when writing the collection? 

It’s funny you say that because I didn’t set out to write about faith; it’s something that happened on its own. As the pamphlet touches heavily on family dynamics, I think faith and religion go hand in hand with that. I grew up Muslim so it really played a significant part during my childhood and formative years, so it naturally came up when writing. 

With this poem in particular, I sat down with my mom and asked her for the step-by-step process on how to make samosas. The writing process behind this poem was really special. It was less about faith and more about making food as a family together. Faith does come in pockets throughout the pamphlet, but it was never my main focus. 

Rereading the poem back now, I can see how your mom’s recipe translated into your own beautiful poetry. It’s like her recipe in your own words.

Thank you. It was never my goal for the poem to be written in a collaborative way, but you’re right: it was her telling me the recipe and I’m passing it on in poetry form. That’s a really interesting and beautiful way to look at it: translating recipes or conversations into poetry. 

Especially since you said food plays such a significant role in your poetry. You could go down so many avenues with this. 

Definitely. 

That’s a really interesting and beautiful way to look at it: translating recipes or conversations into poetry

Another thing I noticed was the stunning artwork accompanying the pamphlet, such as the sketches of the mangoes on the cover and fruit basket in the pamphlet itself. How did you work with the artist during the writing process? 

Thank you. I’m really proud of the illustrations that came out. The artist behind them is Megan Laura Roberts, who is so talented. When my publisher and I were thinking about cover design, we had a lot of options but none of them really spoke to me. I reached out to Meg, who did a line drawing of mangoes and a fruit bowl. The fruit bowl was added at the midpoint of the pamphlet alongside the poem ‘All I know now’ where there is a turning point of things beginning to become more hopeful. 

I really like that as the poem itself is about life and new beginnings, such as a baby being born and the fascinating fact that ‘Did you know it takes five weeks to hear a baby’s heartbeat / in the right womb, and three to ten years for a tree to bear fruit?’ with the correspondence between new life in human form and nature. It’s really beautiful. 

I really like your analysis of that. As a fellow creative, it’s really interesting to hear other interpretations of your work. 

Who are your main influences in poetry and what part did they play when writing the pamphlet?

I love this question because I could chat about my favourite poets all day. One of my biggest influences is Nina Mingya Powles, as she also writes about family and food. After reading her memoir Tiny Moons, I was in awe and admiration and it is a book I still revisit to this day when I’m in need of inspiration. The memoir highlighted the importance of writing about family connections, language, and the various places we call home. 

Another important influence is Mary Jean Chan: they write with such precision and there’s weight behind every single word. After reading their work, I feel like I come away as a better poet, which is a rare thing. I always keep both of their collections close by as a source of inspiration. 

One of my biggest influences is Nina Mingya Powles, as she also writes about family and food

Did you have any favourite reads of 2023 and what new releases are you looking forward to in 2024?

One book I still think about from last year is The White Book by Han Kang. It’s a collection of passages where each one is based on something white, such as paper or clouds, and they are all tied together with the theme of grief beautifully. I really enjoyed it as it made me think of concept books and how they can push boundaries in such a clever and powerful way. 

In terms of what I’m looking forward to in 2024, I want to dive more into Ocean Vuong’s work. I’ve read On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous but I haven’t read any of their poetry collections, so I’m excited for that. Their writing is so lyrical and heartbreaking which is something I’m in the mood for. 

What advice would you give to young poets starting out in the industry?

The key bit of advice I would give to poets starting out is to be as involved as possible in the poetry community, which can mean a lot of different things. This can range from sharing your favourite poets on social media to attending open mics. For me, personally, it’s done a world of good. It’s opened up countless doors and opportunities for me and it was how I got published (as it was through social media). My main advice is to get out there and chat to people, as you never know what opportunities will come from that. 

I totally agree with you, especially with us meeting and having this interview through Redbrick. I’m so thankful you took the time out to talk to me about your collection and I appreciate it. Thank you. 

Of course. It was really nice to chat with you. 

Get out there and chat to people, as you never know what opportunities will come from that

Let me make you something to eat by Nabeela Saghir is published by Fawn Press. You can read Halima Ahad’s review of the pamphlet in Redbrick Culture here.

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